Sheets Shifting on the Rubber
Earlier in the season Dave Cameron asked me what to make of Ben Sheets‘ release points. Sheets has two distinct release points: check it out. Dave wanted to know whether that was a real difference or some noise in the pitchf/x system. Release points are not directly measured by the pitchf/x system, but placed some constant distance away from the plate (the default is 50 feet) along the trajectory of the pitch. This means they are not perfect, but a pattern of such distinct clumps is usually a legitimate phenomenon and not just noise.
Sheets’ clumps were noted over at Athletics Nation where danmerqury suggested they were due to different arm angles (you see that with Jose Contreras where the different clumps of release points correspond to different arm angles). But in this case it is something else as Mike Fast offered great visual evidence (make sure to click through and see what Mike posted) that Sheets is shifting on the rubber based on the handedness of the batter. Here are Sheets’ release points this year color-coded by RHB v LHB.
So Sheets shifts to the catcher’s left (Sheets’ right) against LHBs. I think this allows him to keep his pitches away against LHBs even if they have the same movement and trajectory. Sheets throws the occasional changeup, but most of the time it is either his fastball or his curve (between the two they make up over 90% of his pitches). Here are the trajectories of four of his pitches from last night. A curve and fastball to Jorge Posada (batting lefty) and a curve and a fastball to Alex Rodriguez.
His two fastballs (in green) have about the same movement and trajectory, but because they are thrown from a different starting point they both end up away both end up away, at least partially because of how Sheets shifts over against Posada. Remember LHBs stand to the right of the zone and RHBs to the left because the image is from the catcher’s perspective. The two curves have slightly different movement (this is not consistent across his curves to RHBs and LHBs just happened with the two I choose), but I think the shifting also helps him keep his curves away to all batters.
Mike Fast noted Trevor Hoffman as another guy who shifts on the rubber based on batter handedness. Do you all know any other pitchers who do this?
Dave Allen's other baseball work can be found at Baseball Analysts.
I know I did this back when I played Roger Clemens’ MVP Baseball for the SNES
I believe Kevin Brown shifted when he was with the Dodgers.
May have been the Yankees though.
I would think that he would want to be on the same side of the hitter. Hitters should be able to see the ball better when the pitcher is on the opposite side of the rubber. He is basically giving up any shot of hitting the inside corner with these mechanics.
Also, those fastballs are not close to being the same. The one to Posada is clearly a 2-seamer, and the one to A-Rod is a 4-seamer.
As a LHP, once I switched to the 1st base side of the rubber, I started hitting the inside corner to righties better. I think it’s better to just stay on your arm side, but anything can work if you perfect it enough.
Good point about the two fastballs. You are correct the one to Posada was a two-seamer and the one to A-Rod a four-seamer.
I noticed a similar situation with Brett Anderson’s pitch f/x earlier last year, but since I never actually saw him pitch, I don’t know why it showed up like that. Makes sense that he was moving on the rubber as well.
That is very interesting he was doing this to start last season, but then by the end of last season and this season he has a single release point. Thanks for bringing this up.
Here is the three game sequence last year when it looks like he went from two release points to one.
May 30th, two release points
June 4th, hard to tell
June 9th, one release poing
Let’s not revisit this: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/andersons-step-forward
I still, refuse, regardless of pressure, to admit that anderson was moving on the mound.
June 4th, literally threw me for a loop then, and still does now. That release point got so ugly during that month spree.
By the way Dave, I apologize for the cheap shot 😉
…and of course, it was Cameron, rather than Allen. Let’s play the make an arse game.
Despite what Kris thinks, he was shifting on the rubber to right and left handed hitters. This video from May 25, 2009 clearly shows vs 2 RH batters he’s to the far right on the rubber (video starting at the 23 second mark) then against the LH batter at the 51 sec mark he is more in the middle of the rubber. So there it is.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/y2009/index.jsp?gid=2009_05_25_seamlb_oakmlb_1
Francisco Liriano.
This isn’t that rare I don’t think. I’m in a D-III conference and I see it all the time, though off the top of my head I can’t name a major leaguer who does it.
Everytime I see this headline, I can’t help but think it’s dirty. All this talk about shifting sheets, and rubbers…
I remember reading an article a while back saying Terry Mulholland did this. I think Tom Gorzelanny does as well, but I haven’t seen him pitch since 07.